"The President should not be attacked by Americans while on foreign soil"

[Doctor_J]

-Newt Gingrinch

who I guess meant only when Bush is president.

[closeupready]

1. Why not? Did he explain?

?? (i.e., if he meant physically, DUH, the president shouldn't EVER be attacked; if he meant verbally, I'd like to know how he explains his reasoning.)

[Doctor_J]

2. Who knows why Newt says anything?

"I was driven to be an adulterer and a deadbeat dad by my patriotism"

"Anyone who prints what I said on TV last week is a liar"

If he would drop his presidential ambitions and compete for Colbert's job, he'd finally be a success

[closeupready]

3. Yeah, you know, sometimes, I confuse Gingrich with Edgar Cayce.

He talks with such conviction about things that are sheer nonsense. Force of habit in his case, I'd imagine.

[treestar]

4. The Dixie Chick thing

Though I think it is the attacking American who is on foreign soil? Weren't the wackos upset that the Dixie Chick made her remarks while she was in a foreign country? Like it would have been OK had she made them on US soil. :rofl:

[Igel]

8. *That* is the tradition.

"Attacking the president on foreign soil" is ambiguous--does it mean the attacking (hence the attacker) who shouldn't be on foreign soil or the president when he's on foreign soil?

The tradition is that when you, an American, are on foreign soil you do not attack the President.

Obama in 2008 invoked this tradition, oddly, when Bush said something untoward in Israel. Obama deemed it an unseemly political attack on him. (Obama wasn't elected president yet, BTW.) Nonetheless, that specifies the location of the important actor in the expression: The attacker must be on foreign soil for the tradition to hold.

The Dixie Chicks were deemed to have violated it in 2003. They were on foreign soil. They attacked the president. This was deemed a highly virtuous act.

Palin was deemed to have violated it a few months ago. She was in India. She criticized Obama. This was deemed an outrage of high order.

The tradition that the OP is actually invoking is that it's never okay for somebody outside of our tribe or in-group to criticize anybody inside our tribe (or in-group). It's a virtue for those inside our in-group to critize anybody that's in the *other* group.

[treestar]

9. With the internets and instant video, it hardly matters

Well, but Republicans, always living in the past are thinking of a more ancient sort of tribal bonding - we can argue amongst ourselves - but not in front of the neighbors.

[Doctor_J]

12. I don't recall much "outrage" when Failin fired on the president

Newt was also adamant that Bush shouldn't be attacked while the country is at war. He seems to have violated that one too.

So your defense of the deadbeat dad/serial adulterer/presidential hopeful is stoopid.

[FrenchieCat]

5. That only applies to White Presidents.....

Hell, Obama is not even called President Obama these days anymore by the pundit class.

They are some fucking bold assholes!

[AndiMer]

11. Bingo!

*thread winner*

[progressoid]

6. You could post a quote a day from his newty lips that are hypocritical.

Doncha know that Bush was a war presidint?

[n2doc]

7. Needs an asterisk

*only applies to Republican Presidents

[treestar]

10. Funny cartoon

:rofl:

[_ed_]

13. The hypocrisy is stunning as usual,

but I think this "rule" of not criticizing the President "when overseas" is beyond silly. Do they think that foreign nations don't have access to the press where they can see criticisms when the Pres is stateside?

And, when does this start? When he gets on Air Force 1? Over international waters? When he lands?

More beltway "rules."